Greece’s New Democracy party was shaken up on Friday, June 27th, by the resignation of four ministers implicated in a deepening scandal involving the misuse of EU agricultural funds. In response to the revelations, the Greek government dissolved OPEKEPE, the agency at the centre of the investigation, and transferred its responsibilities to the Independent Authority for Public Revenue in coordination with the European Commission.
The affair, uncovered by EU Chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi and her representative in Athens, Popi Papandreou, centres on allegations that OPEKEPE officials processed falsified land leases and false declarations to channel millions of euros in subsidies to non-existent farmland. The fraud allegedly involved several livestock farmers on the island of Crete between 2019 and 2022. While the actual budget for organic farming during that period was €298 million, applications submitted to OPEKEPE amounted to €705 million, according to Kathimerini.
The resignations include prominent figures who held posts connected to the Agriculture Ministry during the period in question: current Migration Minister Makis Voridis, Deputy Foreign Minister Tassos Hadjivassiliou, Deputy Minister for Rural Development and Food Dionysis Stamenitis, and Deputy Minister for Digital Governance Christos Boukoros.
Complicating the case, investigators have reportedly uncovered wiretapped phone conversations that suggest individuals linked to the scandal coordinated with ministers in an attempt to “get rid” of Papandreou, the EU prosecutor leading the investigation. These recordings are now part of the legal proceedings.
In a related case, the European Commission on 11 June imposed a €415 million fine on Greece for the systematic mismanagement of agricultural aid from 2016 to 2023—again involving OPEKEPE. “Greek taxpayers will ultimately pay this money,” warned Rural Development Minister Kostas Tsiaras in an interview with the Greek public broadcaster.
